98 points
"The exquisite 2006 Syrah Piggott Range is more structured yet. Thick, dense, and tightly wound, all the components are there for future greatness. Only patience is required. Roman Bratasiuk’s Clarendon Hills is one of the world’s great wine estates. The wines are all 100% varietal, produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, and Syrah. The vineyards are all ungrafted, planted on their own roots, most of them with very old vines. Only French oak is utilized, seasoned barrels for the Grenache, 100% new for the Merlot and Cabernets, and 50-100% new for the Syrahs depending upon the vineyard. The wines typically spend 18 months in oak prior to bottling without fining or filtration. All of the above 2006 bottlings were reviewed from barrel samples in Issue 173. The vintage was an excellent one, not quite as exceptional as 2005, but there may be cases in which selected 2006s may eventually outshine their 2005 counterparts. All of the 2006s fell within their predicted ranges (mostly near the high end) so I will keep my comments brief. Clarendon Hills 2006 Syrahs are superb. They appear to be less structured and more forward than the 2005s and will be more approachable early on. S. Tanzer's IWC -- 95pts Opaque purple. Surreal bouquet of red and blue fruits, incense, suave oak spices and fresh flowers: you could wear this but you'd attract wine geeks like flies to a steamy dog turd. Supple black raspberry and mulberry flavors cover the palate and are gently framed by velvety tannins. Shows more shape with air and finishes with energetic berry skin and subtle vanilla notes. This is utterly seductive today. "
Best 2010-2020